Two killed in suburban Baltimore home explosion

Aug. 11 (UPI) -- Two people were killed and another injured in an explosion Sunday morning that damaged multiple suburban Baltimore residences, authorities said. One house was completely destroyed.

The Office of the Maryland State Fire Marshal confirmed the discovery of a second victim from the explosion in a statement Sunday evening.

It also identified the original victim as the 73-year-old owner of the Bel Air home at the center of the explosion. The one person injured was a neighbor who was treated at the scene and declined transport to the hospital, officials said.

Authorities received a call of a house explosion at about 6:42 a.m. EDT Sunday, officials said during a press conference. Units arrived to find what officials described as a debris field. Images of the scene posted by local officials and authorities online show the suburban street covered with timber, plywood and installation.

Master Deputy Oliver Alkire with the Maryland State Fire Marshal's office explained that the local fire department was originally called to the scene over reports of a gas leak. En route to the scene, the units received multiple calls reporting that a house had exploded.

He said that the house that exploded had recently been listed for sale.

"What I can confirm is that there was an odor of gas within the area. We can confirm BGE was aware of that within the area and there were BGE workers were on scene," he said.

He added that in his 18-year career, it was among the largest explosives that he has ever seen.

Officials confirmed that crews from Baltimore Gas and Electric had been investigating a separate electrical issue in the area shortly before the explosion.

The cause of the blast remains under investigation.